Nope, he was no threat to shoot so that's where they hid Kobe. Pierce would have bodied him and if he was chasing Allen around screens all day, he would have been physically destroyed.
All those games where Derek Fisher was getting eaten up by the best player on the other team and the excuse was always, "Kobes a shooting guard, he guards the shooting guard

"
Even in the playoff games when they needed stops, you didn't see Kobe sliding over to Billups, Aaron Brooks, Deron Williams, Chris Paul (other than a few possessions where Kobe got roasted as expected), or any other quick point guard that could shoot AND penetrate. But when it's a point guard who can't hurt you from outside like Rondo or Westbrook (back then) suddenly Kobe is up to the challenge of guarding point guards